Reading Sweet Valley High in my thirties.

Reader of the month: somehow paid off by the California Department of Tourism

I think someone is California is paying Francine to make people who don’t live in Southern California think that they should. I don’t know what armies of eleven year olds begging their parents to move the family there will do.

Also, I’m pretty sure Francine wrote this one herself.

Jennifer Lucato, of New York, writes,

My name is Jennifer and my all-time favorite series is Sweet Valley!

I am eleven and have been reading Sweet Valley books since who knows when! If you ever asked me what high school I want to go to I would definitely say Sweet Valley High.

Sweet Valley books are action-packed, suspenseful starring who else but …Elizabeth and Jessica! Francine Pascal has done a wonderful job writing these books. You really feel if you are there, sharing in the twins’ triumphs and defeats.

Yea, I actually could imagine the taste of those frozen pancakes as if Carl was feeding them to me.

The twins lead very fascinating lives. They’ve even been to France, a place I would love to visit. Best of all, they live in California! Sun, sky and surfing! That’s what I think of California.

I think several million Northern Californians would disagree.

Every month I race to the bookstore hoping to see a new Sweet Valley book. If you ask this reader’s opinion, always have a copy of a Sweet Valley book with you. Don’t leave home without it!

I used to think SVH was a great school, too, until I realised it’s full of bitches and I quite like the fact that my school actually, you know, taught me something. Besides the art of sitting in homeroom and gossiping during lunch period. (We did have a couple of creepy Mr Collins types, though.)

Also, what the hell is THIS?:

“You really feel if you are there, sharing in the twins’ triumphs and defeats.”

Magpie: We did have a Mr. collins at my school.. in creepiness not in name… one of the teachers was arrested for molestation. Ugh! Never *my* teacher thank goodness.

Jessica lost that art contest she entered by stealing someone else’s work… but aside from that, can’t really think of any other examples. It was always those who tried to get in the way of the twins that met with defeat.

We had 5 teachers at my junior high school who were dismissed in a four year period due to sexual misconduct. Gross. Most were sports coaches so they never bothered me, as I was the nerd reading the Sweet Valley High books in the corner. 🙂 Although this one liked to come up and give us shoulder massages while we were doing our work. Ick.

Anne: Ugh, that’s terrible. We had a sports teacher who used to come in and watch us get changed after swimming (why didn’t we report that??), but nobody actually got molested!

I know Jessica got busted passing DeeDee’s art off as her own as a design on t-shirts, but I don’t remember the art contest. Which book was that? But then, Jessica didn’t care about being caught out in her zany schemes, so she never learned anything from it!

You know, whenever I see you do these Reader of the Month posts, the first thing that pops into my head is, “Sun, sky, and surfing! That’s what I think of California.” That line has stayed with me for at least 16 years. I don’t know what to say about that.

To be perfectly honest here, does anyone know what the hell Francine ACTUALLY does do? I mean I know she created the series but its not like she actually wrote any of the books. Why does she get money and props instead of the people who actually do the work ? Its so very Wakefeild of her